TT 2011, Monday 6th Supersport & Superstock
Tradegy & dissapointment
Firstly, all of us at Wilson Craig Racing would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family & friends of Derek Brien who tragically lost his life on lap 1 today's Supersport race.
Monster Energy Supersport Race 1
Before the race even started there was disappointment for the Wilson Craig Team on a safety issue with the engine on William's Supersport machines. Team principal Wilson Craig took the decision not to put the bike on the grid. Wilson, said "with the bike in parc ferme we could not run William's machine on the dyno to check the motor. So I made the decision on safety grounds that the bike could not race." William was disappointed however he fully accepted the decision & the reasons behind it.
After the mornings tragic events. Supersport Race1 was restarted over the shortened distance of 3 laps around the mountain course. With Cameron Donald picking up where he left off. He lead the race from the first lap, only to retire at Kirk Michael on the last lap whilst leading.
Monster Energy Supersport Race 1 Report.
With conditions perfect all around the Mountain Course, the race was re-started at 1.00pm with pit stops likely to be crucial and it was Donald who led by just 0.1s from Michael Dunlop with Anstey a further second back and Gary Johnson only a further tenth in arrears. Riders were jockeying for position close behind as well with John McGuinness, Amor, Dan Kneen and Martin occupying positions 5th to 8th and separated by just 3 seconds.
By Ramsey, Dunlop was very much the man on the move and he’d turned his deficit into a 1.5s lead over Donald with Johnson now having overhauled Anstey. The gaps were beginning to increase with Amor now three seconds behind Anstey and ahead of McGuinness, Martin and Kneen.
At the end of the first lap, it was Dunlop who was surging clear, his opening speed of 125.852mph sending him almost six seconds clear of Donald with Johnson now only 1.7s behind the Australian. Anstey, Martin and Amor rounded out the top six but, with the exception of Dunlop, Johnson, Ian Lougher and Conor Cummins, most of the front runners pitted for fuel so the race entered a confused state as positions changed and large gaps appeared.
By the time they got to Glen Helen, Johnson was the leader by some 37 seconds with Dunlop having gone out at Ballig Bridge. Lougher was holding onto second from Donald and Cummins with Anstey, Martin, Amor and McGuinness in hot pursuit.
Johsnon’s lead was still 37s at Ramsey but it was now Donald in second followed by Anstey, Martin and Amor, the gap between the last two just 0.8s. Amor and McGuinness were circulating at the head of the field but it would all change after the pit stops. Johnson’s lead was down to 30s as he pitted for fuel and it didn’t look like it would be enough for him to retain the lead and that’s how it turned out.
Through Glen Helen and Donald was back in front but it was still tight, his lead over Anstey just 4s. Amor was gaining time through all the sectors, now having moved up to third on time, some three seconds clear of Martin whilst Johnson’s strategy had clearly backfired as he slipped back to fifth place. There was drama ahead though when Donald failed to reach Ballaugh, his bike having expired at Kirk Michael, the same fate befalling Cummins who stopped on the approach to the same village.
That meant that Anstey now held sway at the front and with the fastest lap of the race – 126.595mph – he held on for another TT victory to firmly make up for the disappointment of Saturday when he retired from the Dainese Superbike race. Amor was secure in second, almost eight seconds to the good from Martin but he only just held onto the final podium spot from fellow Lincolnshire man Johnson, the eventual margin just 1.18s.
McGuinness had a solid ride into fifth with Dan Kneen back on form in 6th whilst Ian Lougher, Ben Wylie, Ian Mackman and Dan Stewart rounded out the top ten. Meanwhile, fine rides came from newcomers Robert Wilson, Dean Harrison and Dan Hegarty, the trio finishing in 23rd, 25th and 26th respectively.
McGuinness continues to lead the TT Championship with 36 points, 3 ahead of Amor whilst Wylie was the first Privateer to finish although Mackman’s second place means he has 45 points, 16 ahead of Mark Buckley.
Royal London 360 Superstock Report.
The daytime sun gave way to cooler, cloudier conditions for the 6.30pm start and it was McGuinness who put in his trademark rapid nine miles and he led Martin. It was close though with just 0.2s between them whilst William Dunlop was only another half second back in third. Indeed, there was only 1s between the top 4 and 2.4s between the top 7, Gary Johnson, Bruce Anstey and Keith Amor all right on the pace.
At Ramsey, Michael Dunlop was in the lead from Martin and McGuinness but it had all changed by the Grandstand and it was now the Suzuki man in the lead, his opening lap of 127.953mph giving him a buffer of just under two seconds. McGuinness was still in contention, only another 1.7s in arrears with Johnson, William Dunlop and Amor completing the top six. Leading contender Dan Stewart was out of luck though, the Cumbrian retiring his BMW at the end of the first lap.
The front three were edging away from the rest of the field with Martin circulating on the road with Amor but it was Dunlop who was surging clear at the front, his advantage over Martin 3.5s which, amazingly, he extended to almost ten seconds by Ramsey. McGuinness was still only two seconds off Martin but at the end of the lap, Dunlop’s lap of 129.709mph was much quicker than anyone else and his lead rocketed up to 13 seconds.
Johnson was out though having retired at Creg ny Baa whilst William Dunlop and Dan Kneen were treating the fans all around the course to a terrific spectacle as they lapped wheel to wheel.
The pit stops all went smoothly for the front runners and by Glen Helen, Dunlop’s lead was over 15 seconds and, with another 4 added to that gap by Ramsey, it was his race to lose. Behind though McGuinness was making a move and he was now ahead of Martin by almost two seconds, the latter still circulating – and swapping positions – with Amor. The battle for fifth was also hotting up with little to separate Wilson Craig Honda team-mates William Dunlop and Cameron Donald.
Dunlop maintained his advantage over McGuinness all the way to the chequered flag for his second TT win whilst the Morecambe man was delighted to have racked up yet another TT podium. Martin meanwhile was again left to rue what might have been and had to settle for third, his 11th TT podium.
Amor enjoyed his second top four finish of the day in fourth whilst William Dunlop just got the verdict from Donald by 0.48s. Kneen, Michael Rutter, Adrian Archibald and James Hillier rounded out the top ten whilst newcomer Simon Andrews put in a brilliant ride to take 11th, also lapping well over 123mph and being the first privateer home.
Conor Cummins got his much deserved first finish of the week in 12th with newcomers Dean Harrison and Piotr Betlej also putting in their first 120mph+ laps in 27th and 29th.
McGuinness has opened up a 10-point lead over Amor in the TT Championship while Ian Mackman, 15th in the race, continues to extend his lead in the Privateers Championship.
Royal London 360 Superstock Result
1 9 Michael Dunlop 1000cc Kawasaki / Street Sweep 01 11 13.69 127.129 Silver
2 1 John McGuinness 999cc Honda / Padgetts Motorcycles 01 11 32.32 126.578 Silver
3 3 Guy Martin 999cc Suzuki / Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing 01 11 36.59 126.452 Silver
4 2 Keith Amor 1000cc Honda / KBMG Racing 01 11 44.79 126.211 Silver
5 16 William Dunlop 1000cc Honda / Wilson Craig Racing 01 12 16.10 125.300 Silver
6 6 Cameron Donald 1000cc Honda / Wilson Craig Racing 01 12 16.58 125.286 Silver
Firstly, all of us at Wilson Craig Racing would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family & friends of Derek Brien who tragically lost his life on lap 1 today's Supersport race.
Monster Energy Supersport Race 1
Before the race even started there was disappointment for the Wilson Craig Team on a safety issue with the engine on William's Supersport machines. Team principal Wilson Craig took the decision not to put the bike on the grid. Wilson, said "with the bike in parc ferme we could not run William's machine on the dyno to check the motor. So I made the decision on safety grounds that the bike could not race." William was disappointed however he fully accepted the decision & the reasons behind it.
After the mornings tragic events. Supersport Race1 was restarted over the shortened distance of 3 laps around the mountain course. With Cameron Donald picking up where he left off. He lead the race from the first lap, only to retire at Kirk Michael on the last lap whilst leading.
Monster Energy Supersport Race 1 Report.
With conditions perfect all around the Mountain Course, the race was re-started at 1.00pm with pit stops likely to be crucial and it was Donald who led by just 0.1s from Michael Dunlop with Anstey a further second back and Gary Johnson only a further tenth in arrears. Riders were jockeying for position close behind as well with John McGuinness, Amor, Dan Kneen and Martin occupying positions 5th to 8th and separated by just 3 seconds.
By Ramsey, Dunlop was very much the man on the move and he’d turned his deficit into a 1.5s lead over Donald with Johnson now having overhauled Anstey. The gaps were beginning to increase with Amor now three seconds behind Anstey and ahead of McGuinness, Martin and Kneen.
At the end of the first lap, it was Dunlop who was surging clear, his opening speed of 125.852mph sending him almost six seconds clear of Donald with Johnson now only 1.7s behind the Australian. Anstey, Martin and Amor rounded out the top six but, with the exception of Dunlop, Johnson, Ian Lougher and Conor Cummins, most of the front runners pitted for fuel so the race entered a confused state as positions changed and large gaps appeared.
By the time they got to Glen Helen, Johnson was the leader by some 37 seconds with Dunlop having gone out at Ballig Bridge. Lougher was holding onto second from Donald and Cummins with Anstey, Martin, Amor and McGuinness in hot pursuit.
Johsnon’s lead was still 37s at Ramsey but it was now Donald in second followed by Anstey, Martin and Amor, the gap between the last two just 0.8s. Amor and McGuinness were circulating at the head of the field but it would all change after the pit stops. Johnson’s lead was down to 30s as he pitted for fuel and it didn’t look like it would be enough for him to retain the lead and that’s how it turned out.
Through Glen Helen and Donald was back in front but it was still tight, his lead over Anstey just 4s. Amor was gaining time through all the sectors, now having moved up to third on time, some three seconds clear of Martin whilst Johnson’s strategy had clearly backfired as he slipped back to fifth place. There was drama ahead though when Donald failed to reach Ballaugh, his bike having expired at Kirk Michael, the same fate befalling Cummins who stopped on the approach to the same village.
That meant that Anstey now held sway at the front and with the fastest lap of the race – 126.595mph – he held on for another TT victory to firmly make up for the disappointment of Saturday when he retired from the Dainese Superbike race. Amor was secure in second, almost eight seconds to the good from Martin but he only just held onto the final podium spot from fellow Lincolnshire man Johnson, the eventual margin just 1.18s.
McGuinness had a solid ride into fifth with Dan Kneen back on form in 6th whilst Ian Lougher, Ben Wylie, Ian Mackman and Dan Stewart rounded out the top ten. Meanwhile, fine rides came from newcomers Robert Wilson, Dean Harrison and Dan Hegarty, the trio finishing in 23rd, 25th and 26th respectively.
McGuinness continues to lead the TT Championship with 36 points, 3 ahead of Amor whilst Wylie was the first Privateer to finish although Mackman’s second place means he has 45 points, 16 ahead of Mark Buckley.
Royal London 360 Superstock Report.
The daytime sun gave way to cooler, cloudier conditions for the 6.30pm start and it was McGuinness who put in his trademark rapid nine miles and he led Martin. It was close though with just 0.2s between them whilst William Dunlop was only another half second back in third. Indeed, there was only 1s between the top 4 and 2.4s between the top 7, Gary Johnson, Bruce Anstey and Keith Amor all right on the pace.
At Ramsey, Michael Dunlop was in the lead from Martin and McGuinness but it had all changed by the Grandstand and it was now the Suzuki man in the lead, his opening lap of 127.953mph giving him a buffer of just under two seconds. McGuinness was still in contention, only another 1.7s in arrears with Johnson, William Dunlop and Amor completing the top six. Leading contender Dan Stewart was out of luck though, the Cumbrian retiring his BMW at the end of the first lap.
The front three were edging away from the rest of the field with Martin circulating on the road with Amor but it was Dunlop who was surging clear at the front, his advantage over Martin 3.5s which, amazingly, he extended to almost ten seconds by Ramsey. McGuinness was still only two seconds off Martin but at the end of the lap, Dunlop’s lap of 129.709mph was much quicker than anyone else and his lead rocketed up to 13 seconds.
Johnson was out though having retired at Creg ny Baa whilst William Dunlop and Dan Kneen were treating the fans all around the course to a terrific spectacle as they lapped wheel to wheel.
The pit stops all went smoothly for the front runners and by Glen Helen, Dunlop’s lead was over 15 seconds and, with another 4 added to that gap by Ramsey, it was his race to lose. Behind though McGuinness was making a move and he was now ahead of Martin by almost two seconds, the latter still circulating – and swapping positions – with Amor. The battle for fifth was also hotting up with little to separate Wilson Craig Honda team-mates William Dunlop and Cameron Donald.
Dunlop maintained his advantage over McGuinness all the way to the chequered flag for his second TT win whilst the Morecambe man was delighted to have racked up yet another TT podium. Martin meanwhile was again left to rue what might have been and had to settle for third, his 11th TT podium.
Amor enjoyed his second top four finish of the day in fourth whilst William Dunlop just got the verdict from Donald by 0.48s. Kneen, Michael Rutter, Adrian Archibald and James Hillier rounded out the top ten whilst newcomer Simon Andrews put in a brilliant ride to take 11th, also lapping well over 123mph and being the first privateer home.
Conor Cummins got his much deserved first finish of the week in 12th with newcomers Dean Harrison and Piotr Betlej also putting in their first 120mph+ laps in 27th and 29th.
McGuinness has opened up a 10-point lead over Amor in the TT Championship while Ian Mackman, 15th in the race, continues to extend his lead in the Privateers Championship.
Royal London 360 Superstock Result
1 9 Michael Dunlop 1000cc Kawasaki / Street Sweep 01 11 13.69 127.129 Silver
2 1 John McGuinness 999cc Honda / Padgetts Motorcycles 01 11 32.32 126.578 Silver
3 3 Guy Martin 999cc Suzuki / Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing 01 11 36.59 126.452 Silver
4 2 Keith Amor 1000cc Honda / KBMG Racing 01 11 44.79 126.211 Silver
5 16 William Dunlop 1000cc Honda / Wilson Craig Racing 01 12 16.10 125.300 Silver
6 6 Cameron Donald 1000cc Honda / Wilson Craig Racing 01 12 16.58 125.286 Silver
0 Comments